Breast Screenings

Mammography (2D)A mammogram is a screening tool designed to detect breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat.Recent studies show women at increased risk of breast cancer should have mammograms earlier and consider additional tests. Other diagnostic imaging tools, such as ultrasound and MRI, are useful in the fight against breast cancer.

How does it work?Low radiation x-rays expose a picture of the interior tissue of the breast and identify if there are any abnormalities. Mammograms do not tell if the abnormal area is cancer, but they can help decide if more testing is needed.

Who should have it?
Women, who are age 40 and older, should have a mammogram every year. Women with a personal or family history of breast cancer should have a mammogram earlier. You will need to discuss with your physician when the best time will be for you to have a mammogram.

Why you should have it?
A woman’s chance of developing breast cancer during her lifetime is 1 in 88 out of 9 diagnosed women have no family history of breast cancerMammograms detect 80%-90% of breast cancers in women who have no symptoms. After detecting, further testing may need to be done.We also offer 3D Mammography.
3D mammography (also called breast tomosynthesis) detects 41% more invasive cancers and reduces false positives by up to 40%

Breast Ultrasound
A breast ultrasound is a tool used in conjunction with mammography to aid in detection of early cancers, as not all cancers can be seen on a mammogram.

How does it work?
Ultrasound does not use radiation, instead it uses high-frequency sound waves to form an image that passes through the breast and bounces back from various tissues to form a picture of the internal structures of the breast. Warm gel is applied to the skin and the highly trained technologist uses a transducer to direct the sound waves to the breast tissue. Ultrasound usually does not cause any discomfort.

Who should have it?
You may be a candidate for screening breast ultrasound if you have dense breast tissue. This is often noted in your mammography report as “extremely dense breasts” (density score of 4) or “heterogeneously dense breast” (density score of 3). A discussion with your physician is best in determining if this could be beneficial for you.

Why should you have it?
Ultrasound can detect an additional 3 to 4 cancers per 1000 women who have already been screened by mammography.